On August 11th-12th, a ‘Unite the Right’ Rally took a violent turn after white supremacist groups clashed with counter protesters ranging from members of Antifa, an anti-fascist group that is dedicated to “supporting oppressed people” and fighting “the amassing of wealth by corporations and elites” (Jessica Suerth, CNN.com) and ordinary civilians when a car plowed into a crowd of counter protesters. The incident left a woman dead and over a dozen injured. What were the groups fighting over? A statue. After the incident, Bill De Blasio, the mayor of New York City, said on Twitter, “After the violent events in Charlottesville, New York City will conduct a 90-day review of all symbols of hate on city property.” With this action, a question has been in the minds of many Americans: What about the person, group, or ideal should be taken into consideration when creating a new statue or monument? The person’s impact on a certain event in American or world history should be taken into consideration when statues in America are being created. The individual(s) should also be relevant to the area that their statue/monument will be placed. A final piece of criteria would be taking into consideration why an individual may be celebrated by different people.
Every monument or statue dedicated to someone or a group has some sort of historical or religious significance. The statues that don’t represent people will usually represent a certain ideal. For example, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, was a symbol of democracy, enlightenment ideals, and the abolishment of slavery in America. But, as with many monuments, the meaning and story behind quite a few statues are interpreted differently by many. For the majority of those 14 million immigrants that entered America between the years of 1886 and 1924, the Statue of Liberty represented not democracy and the abolishment of slavery, but a sign of ‘welcome’ that told them they were about to begin their new lives. It’d be quite difficult to argue that the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of hate, so we’ll mention a famous controversial symbol: the Confederate Flag. The Confederate Flag is seen by many Americans as a symbol of hate. Conversely, Americans in the south see it as simply part of American (specifically in the south) history and a form of southern pride. What is called the Confederate Flag is a battle flag, it is what confederate troops marched to, fought in the name of, and died alongside during the Civil War. Some southerners celebrate the flag to pay homage to their ancestors that fought for a cause they believe in whether the cause was just or unjust, and that’s reason to celebrate in itself. (Ben Jones for NYpost) It is, however, important to explicitly state that modern American values are not that of the values of the Confederacy. What should be supported is the spirit of fighting for a cause and the celebration of ancestors, not the archaic philosophies that have proved to be outdated and generally looked down upon. The Confederate flag can not only serve as historic symbolism, but an ode to revolution. The Confederate flag is significant to American history and there’s no denying that fact. Though the symbols may still be flown in support of unjust and immoral actions or beliefs, keep your mind open as to what else the flag may mean to others.
The removal of statues in America isn’t a new phenomenon. Jacey Fortin from the New York Times claims that “just five days after the Declaration of Independence was ratified…soldiers tore down a gilded statue of King George III in Manhattan.” The toppling of the statue was in the name of defiance to an old ruler. With that statue destroyed, the patriots felt a bit freer. Another statue is at risk of being toppled. At the center of national controversy is the Robert E Lee statue in Charlottesville, Virginia. Lee was a general in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy and was widely known for his military expertise. Some believe that Robert E. Lee is undeserving of a monument because of his position on slavery (in support of it) during the Civil War and because of that, he is a symbol of hate. Because he is considered a hate symbol for some, he is one of many controversial figures facing threats of the toppling of monuments and the renaming of places that were previously dedicated to and named after him. Because of the fact that we as humans have emotional impulses, I believe it is very important to look at what history an individual brings to a specific place. For example, Robert E. Lee was a prominent figure in the Civil War, and he was known for being from and representing Virginia during the Civil War. Residents of southern states are usually proud of the statues they have, not just because of the aesthetics of the monuments, but because the monument makes the state of Virginia – and in this case Charlottesville, VA – historically significant.
When it comes to monuments being divisive, the only “fair” way to deal with a statue is to keep it where it is or to either transfer it to a museum or destroy it. So, in light of the recent events, many polls were done to assess how Americans felt about Confederate monuments. A poll done by Marist College found that 44 percent of African Americans, 65 percent of Latinos, and 65 percent of white Americans believe that the Confederate monuments should remain as they are for the sake of historic symbolism. Eleven percent of African Americans said they’re unsure while 40 percent said to remove the statues. Twenty-four percent of Latino Americans and twenty-five percent of whites said that they could be taken down, respectively. While that poll was done after a racially fueled incident in 2017, another poll was done by CNN on the 26th-28th of July 2015, 10 days after the Charleston church shooting by Dylan Roof. After the shooting, images of Dylan Roof posing with a gun and the Confederate circulated on the internet, portraying the flag in a very negative light. Despite this, the poll found that 57% of Americans oppose “redesigning state flags that feature Confederate emblems or symbols to remove references to the Confederacy”. This shows that even today most Americans, in the face of a demoralizing situation would still allow the flag to be flown or for statues to remain because of not only their historical aspects, but because of what they main mean to those in the south.
In all, the historical importance, the location of a monument relative to their impact on an area, and how a certain symbol can be interpreted should be criteria when evaluating statues. One cannot simply think about all of a person’s faults in their evaluations because then one can argue that Martin Luther King Jr. doesn’t deserve a statue because he cheated on his wife and is therefore an immoral figure. I say that the person’s historical impact, be it by way of discovering land like Columbus, fighting for civil rights like MLK, or even by creating military strategies like Robert E. Lee, is the most important thing to pay attention to when considering these statues and monuments for removal. It’s also just as important to have the location of the statue/monument coincide with the person’s historical endeavors (areas they were known for occupying or where they were born) as it wouldn’t make much sense for there to be a Henry Ward Beecher statue in Montana if he never impacted that area. Finally, how someone interprets a symbol is important. Yes, people use the confederate flag when committing acts of violence, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a symbol that only incites violence. For some, the American flag represents unity and freedom; for others, it represents the very evils that corrupt this world such as greed and narcissism. In cases like this, it’s just a matter of perspective.
Works Cited
“Americans take a stand: Leave ’em up.” The New York Post. (August 18, 2017 Friday ): 167 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2017/10/10.
Blasio, Bill de. “Charlottesville.” Twitter, Twitter, 16 Aug. 2017, twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/897926610271166464.
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Jones, Ben. “The New York Times Company.” The New York Times, The New York Times,www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/06/19/does-the-confederate-flag-breed-racism/the-confederate-flag-is-a-matter-of-pride-and-heritage-not-hatred
Randall, Amber. “POLL: Most Black Americans Don’t Want Confederate Statues Removed.”The Daily Caller, The Daily Caller, 17 Aug. 2017, dailycaller.com/2017/08/17/poll-most-black-americans-dont-want-confederate-statues-removed/.
“Robert E. Lee.” Civil War Trust, Civil War Trust, www.civilwar.org/learn/biographies/robert-e-lee.
Suerth, Jessica. “What Is Antifa?” CNN, Cable News Network, 17 Aug. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/us/what-is-antifa-trnd/index.html.
“The Immigrant’s Statue.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/the-immigrants-statue.htm.
